Most of crop is not sold fresh; drying and canning are popular options for apricots since they are so perishable. Cultivars which retain their color and flavor during drying like ‘Royal' and ‘Tilton' are best for this market.
Dried apricots can be easily re-hydrated, and are particularly popular with backpackers. As with plums, drying concentrates all nutrients several-fold. Per capita consumption is only 0.9 lb per year. In 2004, the utilization was as follows:

Canned and juices - 23%

Fresh - 13%
Dried - 57%
Frozen - 5%
Dietary value, per 100 gram edible portion calories

Apricots are produced commercially in 63 countries on about 988,000 acres. Production has been stable over the last decade. Yields average 5980 lbs/acre, ranging from just a few thousand pounds to over 15,000 lbs/acre in the some European countries.